BEREA, Ohio -- It might have been garbage time, but it was nonetheless a welcome sight for the Cleveland Browns and rookie running back Quinshon Judkins.
Judkins, in the final series of Cleveland's 41-17 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2, took a handoff from rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel and quickly cut into the open lane on the left side of the offensive line. Judkins ran past safety Malaki Starks' arm tackle, then shook off three additional Ravens defenders who converged on him, sprinting into the open field until he was brought down for a 31-yard gain.
Judkins, the 36th overall pick in this year's draft, made his debut in the blowout loss and led the Browns with 61 rushing yards, despite missing all of training camp because of a legal matter -- he remained unsigned after an arrest on a misdemeanor domestic violence and battery charge in July that South Florida prosecutors declined to formally pursue -- and practicing twice before his first NFL game.
Ahead of Cleveland's Week 3 home game against the Green Bay Packers (1 p.m. ET, Fox) on Sunday, the Browns hope there's more to come from Judkins as their offense attempts to shake off a slow start to the season.
"If we can play the kind of football that we want to, and we can get him in space, I obviously think that's when we're going to get to see what he can do," quarterback Joe Flacco said. "He's also going to be good at taking the two-, three-yard runs when that's all that's there and wearing on a defense. And I do think he has the ability to kind of be a game breaker. But I think those plays, those game breaker plays, it's going to be all 11 of us working together."
Despite the long layoff -- Judkins had not practiced with the team since June before last week -- he quickly asserted himself as the team's top back. He not only led the Browns in rushing yards but in carries (10). When Cleveland released its unofficial Week 3 depth chart, Judkins was listed as the starting running back. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski sidestepped a question regarding Judkins' role as a feature back but said the team plans to put more on his plate.
"He did great," Stefanski said. "He's doing better. Want to continue to bring him along from a conditioning standpoint, understanding all the nuances of the scheme. So, that will only grow each week."
Through two games, the Browns haven't been able to run the ball effectively, which was a point of emphasis in the offseason. Cleveland is tied for 26th in yards per carry (3.6) and has generated one run of at least 10 yards, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals for the fewest in the league.
After the Browns' Week 1 loss to the Bengals, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said Cincinnati showed lighter boxes with 2-high safety looks and said Cleveland's offense needed to "be able to take advantage of, if teams play us, a certain style, to take advantage of looks that are advantageous."
That's where Judkins' physicality and contact balance could be valuable. Of his 61 rushing yards in Week 2, 36 came after first contact. And of his 20 snaps, all but one came on third down, forecasting the tone-setting role as an early-down back that the Browns envisioned when they drafted the former Ole Miss and Ohio State standout in the second round.
"Throughout the game, those runs will come," Judkins said of his 31-yard run. "You just start small ... you'll find different spaces and creases to hit. It finally hit."
The Packers' run defense will be a test for Judkins in just his second career game. Green Bay has given up the second-fewest rushing yards (97) through two games and has a defensive rush success rate (61.8%) that ranks eighth in the league. However, establishing a reliable run game could be the key to warding off the Packers' swarming pass rush led by edge rusher Micah Parsons and limiting possessions from their explosive offense.
"We were pleased with how he went out there and performed both mentally and physically," Rees said, "and as he gets back into the flow of feeling the runs and just being integrated back with the group and the offensive line, we expect him to continue to develop and as a young player, that's what we're looking for."